Chasing Lyrics (Music & Lyrics #1) (5 page)

Chapter
9

‘On my
heart, you’re tattooed there so deeply’

Tanner –

     “Hey, Mom!” I glance at
Lyrics and remind her to breathe. She is stoic right now and I think it is the
funniest thing I have ever seen.

     Mom gives me a big hug
then turns to Lyrics and says, “There’s my girl. Dylan, you look gorgeous,
honey.” I can’t smother my smile. We go inside and both of our dads are
watching a replay of last year’s Texans –vs– 49’ers game. They grunt up at us,
I shake their hands, and Lyrics gives them a hug. They both tell me to have a
seat with them while Dylan and Mom get dinner ready.

     I am watching the game and
listening to the women in the kitchen. I overhear Mom ask Lyrics about her new songs
and if there is a new man in her life. My ears perk up like a German shepherd’s
ears.

     Lyrics is stumbling over
her answer. “The music is going well and no NEW man in my life…but…um…” I let
her tread a little then I get up and walk into the kitchen.

     Mom says loudly, “Tanner!”
Lyrics looks up with eyes wide opened, she thought my mom guessed it.

     I laugh, and say, “Mom!” I
slowly make my way to Lyrics and I tilt her head up and softly kiss her lips. Mom’s
mouth falls open. I look at Mom and say, “No new man, Mom, just me!” Lyrics turns
ghostly white except for the red blotches that appear on her face.

     Mom yells, “Bo, Stephen! Come
in here please…right now!” Both of our dads come in the kitchen as if they are
about to be scorned. Mom says, “You both owe me $20! I told you they would get
together this year!” Both men roll their eyes and fish out $20 from their
wallets. Now it is Lyrics’ and my mouths that fall open!

     I say, “Y’all had a bet
going?”

     Dad says, “Every damn year
except this one I bet on y’all…but it had to be this year huh, thanks a lot,
kids.” Lyrics has the biggest grin stretching across her face and I see life
flow back into her.

     Mom hugs her and says,
“Honey, I knew one day you would officially be my daughter. I knew since Tanner
was fourteen years old that he was in love with you, and you with him.”

     When Mr. Brooks comes towards
me, he extends his arm and says, “Son, now I know that my baby girl will forever
be safe and loved. Very happy to see you finally reeled her in!” I feel like
the strongest, luckiest, happiest man alive. The most important people in our
lives are as happy as we are! Lyrics grabs my hand and I know that my life will
never be the same again.

     “I have one more
announcement. The Gap hired me to be their male model.”

     Mom looks at me and says,
“Holy cow, son! That is huge!”

     I nod, look at Lyrics, and
say, “I will be shooting for six months in various locations all over the
world.”

     Lyrics says, “He wasn’t
going to take it, but I told him that he should.”

     Mom smiles and says,
“That’s my girl. Wow, six months, huh? Well, it is The Gap. When do you leave?”

     I say, “Saturday morning I
leave for Spain.”

     Mom gets her motherly self
in gear, “Well do you have everything you need? Who is going with you? Make
sure you get an international phone immediately so you can call us.”

     I say, “Yes I do, I think.
I guess I am going with the photographer and another model.”

     Lyrics asks, “Who is the
other model?”

     I know who she is but I didn’t
really want to tell her…but it is Lyrics and I have to. “Um, I think Chauncey
said Jennifer something or another.”

     Lyrics says, “Jennifer
Temple?”

     Fuck! “Yeah, maybe that
was it.”

     Dad yells from the other
room, “Is she the model from Victoria Secret?”

     Fuck! “I don’t know,
Dad…thank you.” Lyrics rolls her eyes and glares at me the way she has always
glared at me when she knows I am lying.

     She mouths, “You are all
kinds of messed up!” My heart sinks.

     I take her hand and tell
Mom, “Excuse us for a minute please.” Mom nods. I take Lyrics to the outside
porch. I push her hair behind her ear and tilt her head up to meet my eyes. “Dylan,
I don’t care who is going with me. Nobody I ever meet will know everything
about me as you do. There is no other girl on the planet tattooed on my heart. You
are carved so deeply in my heart that they would have to remove my entire heart
to get you out of it. Listen to me, I don’t care who is coming with me, the
only thing I care about is who is not, and that is you. Do you fully understand
me?” She blinks her eyes and tears fall. God, I hate seeing her cry. Normally I
would whoop the guy’s ass that made her cry, but I can’t exactly beat myself up!
I bring her to my chest and kiss the top of her head. “One day, Lyrics, I will make
you my wife and I will not do anything to jeopardize that. You think it’s easy
for me? I mean, I loved you before but now I crave you. Do you understand me?”

    She nods her head and says,
“Yes, I understand you.” I wipe her eyes and kiss her beautiful mouth. Six
months…I feel like I am going to die.

     We pull ourselves together
and return inside. Mom made her famous casserole that is always a huge hit. We
stay until seven p.m. and then the countdown is on. We have about thirty-six
hours before I take off, I am determined to make the most out of each minute. When
we would drive to our summer vacation spots, Lyrics and I would play the “make
a song” game. One person says a line and the other person adds to it until you
have created a complete song. I look at her and sing, “This tired road ain’t no
company to me.”

     She smiles and sings, “With
every bump, I am reminded of where I used to be.”

     I raise my eyebrow. “That
ole’ town, my ole’ truck, her fresh lips, my broken trust.”

     Lyrics comes strong with
her voice now, “Somethings aren’t meant to change while others aren’t meant to
stay the same.” She reaches for my hand.

     I think for a moment and
say, “Looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing. It’s you, it’s me…let’s create
some more history.” I interlock our hands.

     Lyrics gets a big smile on
her face. “I never really knew where this dirt road would lead me to but at the
end of each exit, I have always seen you.”

     My heart is thumping out
of my chest. “The past is our guide, the present is our gift, God damn woman,
you get me so stiff.”

     Lyrics pushes my shoulder
and says, “Man, you really are all kinds of messed up, but I love you.” No
matter how hard I try to hide it, my smile takes over my face. Hearing her say
she loves me is my rock, my anchor, my heart.

     “I love you too, Miss
Lyrics. You know, we had a great song there.”

     She smirks, “Yep, right up
until the stiff part.”

     I laugh and say, “C’mon
girl, you know me.”

     She rolls her eyes and
says, “I sure do, Mr. Staff.”

     “Don’t forget about our
date tomorrow. Here is my bankcard; I want you to buy yourself a new
outfit…dress…shoes…purse…whatever else you girls put on. I have plenty of money;
don’t go cheap. I will go with you if you are going to skimp.”

     Lyrics says, “Tanner,
taking you shopping is even worse than taking me shopping! Thank you. Do you
have something in mind that you want me to wear?”

     I get a devilish grin and
say, “Remember that blue dress you wore for your twenty-third birthday party? It
cut low against your perfect breasts and hung loose but form fitting around
your perfect body…something like that sounds amazing. You know I love you in cowboy
boots or heels. Black panties. Black bra. Scratch the rest…just get the
underwear and we can stay in.” I laugh and she looks at me as if I just went
crazy. I tell her, “Lyrics, you are the sexiest woman I have ever been with and
will ever be with. Anything you wear will be perfect. Hell, I’ll be looking
forward to seeing the trail of it on the floor when I attack you. I just want
you to go buy yourself something new and have fun. If you don’t mind, would you
pick me up a shirt to go with my dark jeans? Do you like those jeans?”

     Lyrics tilts her head at
me and says, “Oh, I am looking forward to the trail of clothes on the floor too.
Those jeans, Tanner, when you wear those jeans, I literally lose my breath. I
have had many happy endings thinking about taking them off of you, and now I
get to really do it!”

     When we arrive back at our
complex I walk her to her door, kiss her hand, and say, “Goodnight, beautiful. I
will see you tomorrow.” She tugs on my hand for me to come inside, which I
really want to do, but I resist and simply say, “Let me know if you want me to
come shopping with you tomorrow.”

Chapter
10

‘Tonight
I found and lost my soul all at once’

Tanner –

Damn, my apartment feels so, I
don’t know…different. I want to go bust down her door and feel her heat lying
beside me but I want our date to be very special. My head is spinning just
thinking about Lyrics. How did I manage to hide my feelings for so long? Now I
want to touch her and tell her how much I love her every second of the day! I
pick up my phone and send her a text. “Just want to tell you that leaving your
door tonight was very hard. Thank you for loving me the way nobody else in this
world has or ever will. I love you even more
♥♥♥
”
I feel
like there is a vice around my heart right now. The thought of leaving her for
six months hurts, like physically hurts me. I run my fingers through my hair
and tell myself to get a grip. I am thirty years old, for Christ sake, not
sixteen! It’s Lyrics, she has never one time let me down, not even once. I know
she’ll be here waiting for me when I come home.

     Thoughts are running
through my head like Los Angeles traffic and I just want them to silence. On
what am I tripping? The thought of her finding somebody else is driving me
fucking crazy. Maybe I should kick Tyler’s ass right now, just in case he tries
to fill in for me while I am gone. I laugh and shake my head. I get a text.

     Lyrics. “I am dying inside
thinking about you being away from me. We have never been apart for that long
but I am so proud of you and I love you more than the moon and stars! I can’t
wait until tomorrow. Sleep well my, Mr. Staff. Hey, you know that music is made
with Lyrics and notes written on a Staff…together we make the perfect song! I
love you, my Tanner.” I swear to God, my only regret is not seeing her in this
way years ago. I send her back a text with a page full of hearts. What a dork I
have become!

     It is 1:30 in the morning
and I have been tossing and turning in my bed. I have a song that is playing in
my head that I guess I am supposed to write down because it will not silence.

♫
Tonight
I found and lost my soul all at once.

Your
absence leaves emptiness all around me.

The
pages of my life have you inscribed throughout.

You are
the Lyrics to my song.

Chorus
– I open up my mouth and it’s your voice I hear

Looking
at the world through your eyes

Opening
my heart like I never have before

Knowing
it was you there all along.

It’s
been you here all along. (End chorus)

Life
has a funny way of testing me.

Throwing
curves when straight is all I want.

Whichever
way our roads may turn, no matter where I am

I’ll
find you, you’ll find me, and together we will land.

Chorus.

My song
is mute without my Lyrics

My
Lyrics is every song I have sung.
♫

     I start thinking about our
date, planning what we will do. I send an email to the bar I am taking her to
after dinner, asking if I could sing a song while we are there. I take a deep
breath and again it hits me that I will be away from her for six months. I
drink some water and force myself to shake my thoughts. Of course, she will
wait six months. We have something that most don’t have. We have a lifetime of
memories and a future with a blank slate. Damn, wish I had put that into my
song! I gotta get some sleep. I do not plan to waste our last night together
with sleeping!

     I wake up at eleven and
grab my phone. I text Lyrics, “Remember, don’t worry about the cost! Hope you
slept better than I did. Can’t wait to taste you, I mean see you.” Two seconds later,
I get a text.  

     “I was fine with the taste
remark! I will find an outfit that will have you drooling and begging. I did
not sleep well without you btw. Oh, I can’t wait to taste you either!” Electric
shocks start in my heart and end in my balls. God, this woman!

     I call the florist and
order a bouquet of sunflowers to pick up at six this evening. I am taking her
to a French restaurant that she has wanted to try, Chez Nous. After dinner, I
am taking her to Sixth Street where we can listen to some live music as well as
dance, and I will surprise her with a song. I am certain that we will both be
ready to head home after that! My phone rings. Chauncey. “Yes Ma’am.”

     She says in her raspy
agent like voice, “Hello, gorgeous. Listen, when you arrive in Spain, you guys will
meet Jennifer at the airport, and the car will pick you both up and take you to
the hotel.” I sigh. She says, “Are you okay?”

     I want to scream, no! I
say, “Yes, Ma’am, I am just a little nervous to leave for so long.”

     Chauncey tells me, “This
will fly by. You will be so busy that December will come in no time at all.”

     I say, “I sure hope so.”

     “Be safe and enjoy the
sights a bit too. If you need me, call me.”

     I force a smile and say,
“Will do. Thank you for everything.”

     She quickly says, “Thank
you too, kid.”

     It’s four o’clock as I hop
in the shower. Haven’t heard from Lyrics so I assume she is knee deep in trying
on outfits. A smile comes across my face just thinking about her shopping. She
is the type of girl that hates shopping. Normally she makes a beeline to the
clearance rack, grabs a couple of items, and checks out. She has never
understood why so many girls enjoy shopping! I think it is because her Daddy
raised her. She thinks it is because she isn’t an idiot. I feel sorry for the
lady at the try-on station. She probably has twenty outfits on the “No” rack.